The Song Remains the Same
by Melfina-Pan
Summary: In my world, Spike didn't die. It's a Spike/Faye story that takes place after Session 26
1. Slight Return

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I love Bebop and I wish it were mine, but it isn't. Hope you enjoy.  
  
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"Faye! Where are you!"  
  
Jet searched the Bebop looking for the dark haired beauty. It has been three months since Spike's disappearance. It was assumed that he was dead. His body was nowhere to be found after his run in with Vicious and those who lived in the area claimed they knew nothing.  
  
"Nothing my ass," Jet thought as he peered around the corner looking for Faye.  
  
Things were quiet on the once bustling ship. Spike was gone along with Ed and Ein. The elder bounty hunter missed the antics of Ed rolling around on the floor or dousing his bonsai trees with too much water. He missed Ein's annoying `I'm probably smarter than you' attitude and most of all he missed the whistling that his former partner did as he entered the ship after another bounty. Now he was stuck with the shrew woman as both he and Spike liked to call her. Jet chuckled. Faye would get a murderous glare in her eyes if anyone called her that to her face. She had changed a lot since Spike's disappearance. She became cold and unfeeling, she was a bit more modest in her choice of clothing, and the biggest shocker of them all, she didn't complain or fight with Jet. It worried Jet a little. He never thought he would ever worry about Faye, but here he was oddly concerned. Day in and day out she would come and go, catching bounties and bringing money back to the Bebop. Then she  
would come home and actually do "house work." Jet kept on searching until he found Faye in the back room filling up a basket with wet clothes.  
  
"Faye, what the hell are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like," she answered as she stuffed a towel into the basket.  
  
"You're doing laundry?"  
  
"Don't sound so surprised, I do know how to work the machine."  
  
"I'm surprised because you're doing mine too."  
  
"Oh, well in that case I'll stop. I mean if you don't want me to do it..."  
  
"No that's fine."  
  
Faye smirked and then lifted the basket, balancing it on her right side.  
  
"So why were you looking for me?"  
  
"There's a new bounty on some guy named the Rhino."  
  
"Getting lazy are we Jet?"  
  
"What the hell does that mean?"  
  
"I've been catching an awful lot of bounties by myself."  
  
"Now you wait a minute. I put a roof over your head, the least you can do is bring in some money."  
  
"Calm down Jet, I was just toying with you. I'll go as soon as I'm done here. These towels aren't gonna get hung up by themselves you know."  
  
"I'll take care of that. You just go look up the info on the computer and get the money."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
With that Faye walked out of the room. She would rather go catch the latest bounty head anyway. After finding the information on Rhino she headed for her ship, the Red Tail. As she was about to board the ship she saw something that made her go ghostly pale. The Swordfish II, Spike's ship, was docked right next to hers.  
  
"Where did that come from," she asked herself as she moved to inspect her find.  
  
She made her way to the ship and peeked inside. No one was there. As she touched the ship it was still warm.  
  
"It must have just gotten here. But how could we not know about it?"  
  
She walked around to the other side of the ship and grabbed her communicator so she could tell Jet what she found. As she was about the push a button on the hand held device a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Faye let out an earsplitting scream, which caused Jet to come running into the hanger.  
  
"What are you screaming for! You scared the crap out of me and......Spike?"  
  
"Spike?"  
  
Faye turned suddenly only to see a man that she thought was dead.  
  
"What the fuck were you trying to do Spike?! You scared the hell out of me you stupid bastard! Are you even alive or did your spirit come back to plague me?"  
  
"Relax Faye. I'm alive," Spike replied, "What, are you surprised to see me?"  
  
"What makes you think I care about whether you're alive or not? Thank you for thoroughly wasting my time you jerk. If you don't mind, I have a bounty to catch."  
  
With that Faye pushed passed him and boarded her ship. She was practically shaking with a mixture of fear, anger, and joy. She took off in a rush nearly running Spike down. When she was gone Spike pulled himself up and brushed himself off. Then he (you guessed it) lit up a cigarette.  
  
"What's with her?"  
  
"Come on Spike, you obviously scared the hell out of her. We thought you were dead and then poof here you are."  
  
"Poof? Is that a new word for you Jet?"  
  
"Oh shut up...So if you were alive for all this time, where were you?"  
  
"I was in the hospital for a month and in jail for two."  
  
"What? You were in jail? Why didn't you contact us, we would have bailed you out."  
  
"I wasn't sure if I wanted to come back or not."  
  
"Well, what were you in for?"  
  
"Disturbing the peace, if you can believe that."  
  
Jet laughed and turned toward the door.  
  
"I'm going inside. You hungry? We actually have food other than bell peppers and beef."  
  
"How'd you mange that?"  
  
Jet smiled to himself and shook his head.  
  
"Faye's been a busy girl. I must admit she changed for the better. She's finally pulling her weight around here."  
  
"Are you serious? Did she hit her head or something?"  
  
"Awe, leave her alone would ya."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"I guess she kinda grows on you after a while. She might just surprise you Spike."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Your room is still there if you want it. Faye kept it up for you."  
  
"Faye did? I thought she hated me."  
  
"I don't know about that, but the room's clean. I guess she refused to believe you were dead."  
  
"Thanks Jet."  
  
Spike walked down the hallway to his room. It was pretty much the same as he left it, only cleaner. He laid down on his bed thinking about Faye. Why, he wouldn't be able to say, but he couldn't help himself. First off she seemed a lot colder. Being near her made him shiver. Then there was the clothes she was wearing. Black leather pants, a black tank top, black boots, and a black leather ankle length jacket. She looked more like a cold-blooded assassin than a bounty hunter. Also there was what Jet said. She was helping around the ship, bringing in money and stuff like that. What happened to her?  
  
He watched the hall from his bed and heard footsteps coming in from the hanger. Then he heard Faye's voice. She turned Rhino in and received five hundred thousand woolongs for her troubles. She complained that it was chump change and told Jet she was going to her room. Spike heard footsteps coming down the hall and pretended to be sleeping though he kept his right eye opened a crack. Faye walked by without even looking inside the room, which surprised him. He thought she would at least taunt him or something. Spike heard Jet yell for dinner so he climbed out of bed and walked down the hall to the table. Faye hadn't left her room to eat, which made Spike wonder. After a few hours he decided his curiosity got the better of him and he crept to Faye's room. He leaned against the door, putting his ear up to it, listening for signs of life. Little did he know the door wasn't closed all the way so it flew open and Spike fell through the doorway onto the floor. Faye didn't appear to  
be startled in the least bit, instead she smirked coldly at him. She stood up and walked toward him.  
  
"Taken to spying have we Spike?"  
  
"No. We were wondering why you didn't come to eat dinner."  
  
"Since when do you care?"  
  
"I don't, but Jet was pissed that the quote Minx unquote didn't show up for dinner."  
  
"Well maybe I wasn't hungry. Now if you don't mind could you leave?"  
  
"What's your problem Faye?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well there is the extreme bitch attitude you've been giving me."  
  
"I don't have a problem."  
  
Faye tried to push Spike aside so she could go eat what was left, but he wouldn't move.  
  
"Get out of my way."  
  
"Not `til you tell me what's going on. Why are you being such a bitch to me? Why are you all of the sudden so chummy with Jet? What's with the change of clothes? How is it that now you decide to help out around the ship?"  
  
He was bombarding her with questions that she didn't feel like answering.  
  
"What's the matter Spike? Worried about me?"  
  
"In your dreams."  
  
"Then why all the questions?"  
  
"Because you're pissing me off more than you ever have before."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry. I guess I'm good at rubbing people the wrong way. Now move."  
  
He still didn't budge.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what your problem is."  
  
"You want to know?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you really want to know?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure you want to know?"  
  
"YES DAMN IT!"  
  
"Okay I'll tell you. Come closer."  
  
Spike leaned closer, turning his head to hear her.  
  
"Closer...A little closer...okay here goes."  
  
Spike stood stiff, listening intently.  
  
"GET OUT OF MY WAY," she screamed into his ear making him fall backwards onto the floor.  
  
A look of sheer rage crossed Spike's face and Faye just laughed at his predicament.  
  
"My how the mighty have fallen," she said sarcastically.  
  
Faye continued laughing as she stepped over him and walked down the hall. Jet came down the hall in the opposite direction and noticed Spike on the floor in Faye's room.  
  
"Spike what are you doing in there?"  
  
"Did you know that Faye is the biggest bitch in the entire universe?"  
  
"What'd she do?"  
  
"Well for one thing, she made me deaf in one ear."  
  
"Come here Spike, let me tell you something about Faye."  
  
Spike hopped onto his feet and Jet lead him into the room where he kept his Bonsai trees. Spike sat down next to Jet and lit a cigarette as did Jet.  
  
"Faye hasn't been the same since you left."  
  
"Thanks for the new info Jet," said Spike sarcastically.  
  
"It's your fault you know?"  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"You ran off to die Spike. She came to trust us almost like comrades, something she swore that she would never do. Her philosophy was that having a friend was nothing but trouble and you only reinforced that in her mind. She got attached and then got burned. I know deep down she loved you. It didn't help that you always talked about Julia like she was a goddess. Then you just left like it was no big deal. You didn't appreciate the consequences and how your decisions affected other people. It killed her that she couldn't stop you and she was convinced you were gonna die."  
  
Spike listened to Jet, but it took a while for the words to sink in.  
  
"Yeah, Faye and I never got along, but we came to an understanding and she really isn't that bad. "  
  
"So it's my fault she's the way she is?"  
  
"That's how I see it anyway."  
  
Both were surprised by a noise behind them. It was Faye and she glared at them in annoyance.  
  
"If you guys are done talking about how I became the way I am, I just wanted to let you know that I got a transmission from Ed. She told her father that she wanted to come back to the Bebop and he was alright with it so I'm taking the Redtail to pick her and Ein up."  
  
"Ed? So how's she doing," Jet inquired.  
  
"She looks fine to me. I think she was even wearing shoes."  
  
Faye turned around and walked off and Spike turned to Jet.  
  
"How do you know she loved me?"  
  
"I'm just guessing. It's not a sure thing, but why else would she be so pissed at you for leaving?"  
  
"I'm going with her."  
  
"Wait Spike. Maybe you should just let her go. You're not exactly on her top ten list of people to talk to."  
  
"I don't care. I want to know the truth."  
  
"Why does it matter to you? You said you don't care about her so why are you even pursuing this? I thought you loved Julia?"  
  
"I did love Julia, but she's dead now. I can't go on loving the unattainable. Maybe I've had a soft spot for Faye all along."  
  
Jet's jaw looked like it was going to drop through the floor. Spike stood up, lit a cigarette, and walked out to the hanger. When he got there Faye was loading supplies into her ship. When she saw Spike she turned her back to him.  
  
"What do you want now?"  
  
"I'm going with you."  
  
She turned quickly and stomped over to him angrily. When she was nose to nose with him she grabbed his chin.  
  
"NO YOU'RE NOT!"  
  
Spike smacked her hand away and stared into her eyes making her nervous.  
  
"Yes I am," he said calmly.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Because there isn't going to be enough room for you, Ed, Ein, and all of Ed's stuff in your ship."  
  
"Fine, but just leave me alone."  
  
She climbed into her ship and took off for Earth. Spike got into the Swordfish and followed. Spike noticed as they landed that they weren't too far from Doohan's place. He saw Faye get out of her ship so he quickly got out of his own and had to run to catch up to her.  
  
"Why did we come here?"  
  
"I told Ed to meet me in town outside of a bar called Blackjack. She won't get here for at least two hours. I wanted to enjoy a few hours of silence before the Bebop officially becomes crazy again. Of course then you came along and ruined it for me."  
  
"I thought Doohan said this town was deserted," Spike said, brushing off Faye's last comment.  
  
"It is for the most part, but I heard that the Blackjack has a good stash of alcohol in the basement."  
  
"So your plan was to get drunk while waiting for Ed? That's great Faye. Then you could take off into space and kill everyone while flying under the influence."  
  
"Did I ask you for a lecture? I don't think so. Besides, you're the last person in the universe who should be talking to me about stuff like that."  
  
They walked on in silence. Faye wanted to make things go back to normal between them, but she knew things would never be the same. Spike walked along side her, his lanky legs matching her stride step for step. He would look at Faye every now and again, remembering what Jet said. It was really his fault that she was like this. If he hadn't run off like that, maybe she'd be the same old Faye. He mentally cursed himself. He knew that he came off as unfeeling, but when it came to friends he cared more than he would let one. Faye might have been a pain in the ass, but he still considered her a friend. What was she now? Would this turn into another deep-seated hatred, as was the case between him and Vicious?  
  
"I won't let it go that far," said Spike.  
  
"What did you say Spike?"  
  
Just then he realized he said that out loud.  
  
"Nothing important," Spike replied.  
  
Faye "hmphed" and continued walking in silence.  
  
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Hope that chapter wasn't too long for you. I'm just used to writing pages and pages all at one time. I'll write more when I can  
  
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	2. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Spike spotted the town on the horizon. It looked to be deserted. He could even see what old man Doohan described as tumbleweed floating across the road.  
  
"Do you mind explaining why we docked the ships so far away from town," asked Spike as he wiped his brow.  
  
"Still as lunkheaded as ever I see," Faye replied.  
  
"You called me lunkhead? You really do care don't you," he said jokingly remembering what Faye used to call him."  
  
Faye didn't find that amusing in the least.  
  
"Yeah sure I care, and then maybe a colony of green aliens are building an advanced civilization in my nose."  
  
"Thanks for the image Faye. You're such a kid you know that?"  
  
Faye stopped walking and lit a cigarette. Then she walked over to him and snubbed it out on his shirt. Spike's face twisted with anger.  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"  
  
"I was just checking to see if you were alive," she said, "Isn't that what you were always trying to figure out?"  
  
Faye started walking again. Spike calmed himself and jogged up behind her.  
  
"I suppose I deserved that," he thought.  
  
"You did bring a gun didn't you," Faye asked, tearing Spike away from his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"I heard there were a bunch of crazies on in this area, that's all."  
  
"Okay, now could you answer the question I asked before?'  
  
"We docked near Doohan's place because that town isn't totally deserted. I don't want the ships to be stripped down for parts. It's happened before. The old man's assistant told me he'd keep an eye on them."  
  
"That moron?"  
  
"If you're so concerned then you can always go back and baby sit. I'm sure you'd be more welcome there anyway."  
  
"Nope, it's seems my new purpose in life is to annoy you."  
  
Faye didn't say anything. She knew he was just trying to piss her off like he used to do. Unfortunately for him, she was wise to him. Meanwhile back on the Bebop Jet checked the computer for new bounty heads. He figured that it would pass the time until everyone came back. He also flipped on the Big Shot Bounty Hunter Show. It was supposed to be cancelled, but the network decided to hang on to it considering the fuss that other bounty hunters were causing over it. Jet tuned out Big Shot to look through the new and improved bounty head database until he heard the mention of a city on Earth on tv.  
  
"So where's this Pedro Sanchez headed," asked the blonde in a skimpy cowgirl outfit.  
  
"Well `The Hagning Kid' as he is normally called seems to be headed to the deserted city of St. Augustine in what used to be known as the United States before the gate explosion."  
  
"Well good luck all you cowboys."  
  
Jet switched the show off. Why did that town sound so familiar? Then he realized something.  
  
"Isn't that close to where Doohan's place is?"  
  
Jet hurried to get a line of communication to Faye, but couldn't get through.  
  
"What the hell? Don't tell me you turned your communicator off. Shit! A bounty head right under her nose and she'll never know."  
  
Jet gave up after a while and decided instead to try and get some information on this Pedro Sanchez guy. He ran a search in the database and the results flashed up on the screen.  
  
"Hmm, priors...kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery...sounds like a small fry to me. What did he do to get a bounty on his head? Ah-ha! Here it is. Oh man, not another bloody eye smuggler. But why so much money?...That many murders? Crap. So why's he called The Hanging Kid?...oh never mind."  
  
While Jet gathered information, Faye was still being annoyed by her pesky companion. They finally made it into St. Augustine and headed to the Black Jack to wait for Ed. Faye walked over to a heap of debris and sat down on a cement block. Spike sat next to her making her uncomfortable.  
  
"I thought you were coming here to get drunk."  
  
"I'm not thirsty," said Faye flatly.  
  
"So when's Ed supposed to get here?"  
  
"You ask too many questions you know that? I think I liked you better when you did things first and asked questions later."  
  
"Funny, I didn't think you liked me at all."  
  
"Not anymore anyway...She'll be here in another hour."  
  
"So what are we supposed to do until then?"  
  
"Sit in absolute silence. How does that strike you?"  
  
"It doesn't. So answer me this. What made you change?"  
  
"That's not a question I feel like answering."  
  
"I'm not gonna stop asking until you tell me."  
  
"What difference does it make to you? You never gave a damn about me before. Why the hell do you care now?"  
  
"And who said I never gave a damn? Just because I didn't say it doesn't mean that I didn't care."  
  
"The only person you ever cared about was you Spike. You never showed any concern for anyone unless...unless it was Julia."  
  
"Oh and you were the warmest, most caring person I ever met," Spike shot back sarcastically.  
  
"Did I say I was? I know my faults and I know I'm selfish, but then I've been burned in the past. It's not exactly easy for me to open up and care about someone. Every time I do, I end up regretting it."  
  
"So you regret caring about me before, huh?"  
  
"What? Who said anything about that? Don't think that what Jet said is true, because it isn't."  
  
"You didn't distance yourself from Jet or Ed. Just me. So I must be the root of the problem."  
  
"Think what you want."  
  
Back at the Bebop Jet tried to get in contact with Ed on her Tomato. Maybe then she could relay a message to Faye and Spike. After a while he finally established a connection with Ed. All he saw was Ein's face. When Ein saw Jet he started barking.  
  
"Who are you talking to now Ein? Oh, look Ein it's Jet Jet. Hellooooooo Jet Jet. Did you hear that Ed is coming back to the Bebop Jet person?"  
  
"Yes Ed I heard all about it. Listen I need you to do me a favor."  
  
"A favor for Jet Jet? What does Jet person want Edward to do?"  
  
"When you see Faye, tell her to contact me okay?"  
  
"Faye Faye has to contact Jet Jet."  
  
She flipped over and stood upside down on her head, still watching the computer screen.  
  
"Do you think you can remember to tell her that?"  
  
"Yup yup."  
  
"Okay Ed, I'll let you go now. Remember Faye and Spike will be waiting outside of the Black Jack Bar in St. Augustine."  
  
"Lunkhead? Edward heard that Spike person was dead."  
  
"Nope he's alive."  
  
"Goddie goodie, Edward misses watching Spike person and Faye Faye fight."  
  
"You'll get plenty of that, just hurry up and find them."  
  
"Roger dodger."  
  
Ed signed off and Jet leaned back on the couch. All he could do was wait now.  
  
"They could be in a lot of trouble with this one. I hope they don't run into that freak before I can talk to them." 


	3. The Spider and the Fly

After a while Ed and Ein arrived in St. Augustine and were wandering the decaying town looking for Faye and Spike. The streets were almost entirely rubble with the exception of some towering skyscrapers and sturdy old buildings.

"Where did Faye Faye say we were supposed to go Ein?"

Ein just looked up at her and barked.

"Bar, bar, looking for a bar. Bar, bar, bar. Hmmmm...Jackblack, Blackjack. Blackjack where are you? Show yourself to Edward."

Ein's head shot up and he began to growl making Ed stop and turn around.

"What's the matter Ein? Come on Spike person and Faye Faye are waiting for you and Edward."

The little corgi started barking and pointed his nose in the direction of a shadow in the alley near by. Suddenly it started to move and before Ed could react she was knocked out and carried away, by a strange man. Ein continued barking and pursued the man, but somehow lost track of the man and his scent. All Ein could do was try and find Spike and Faye.

Meanwhile at the Blackjack, and hour and a half had passed and there was no sign of Ed or Ein. In the red and yellow of the early evening, Spike and Faye had stopped talking and were looking for ways to amuse themselves during their wait. Spike had smoked three cigarettes by now and was bored out of his scull. The only thing keeping him remotely occupied was an old can at his feet, which he kicked and crunched every once and a while. Faye was about to scream. If she heard that can scraping against the ground one more time she was going to have to do something rash. Of course at that moment Spike kicked the can toward Faye. She stood up and clenched her fists. Then she stomped over to Spike who wasn't paying attention to her. She grabbed him by the collar and started shaking him.

"WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!!!"

"Doing what?"

"Kicking that damned can, it's getting annoying!"

"What the hell else is there to do here?"

"I don't know! Just stop it before I kill you!

"Like you'd have the guts."

Spike smirked as Faye turned red in anger. He lit his last cigarette and sat back against the brick wall behind him. Faye calmed down and then sat in her original spot.

"I thought you said she'd be here by now," Spike asked as he exhaled, "She's late."

"This is Ed we're talking about. She's not exactly time conscious."

"We've been waiting here for two and a half hours. So far I've walked around the block five times and went into the bar six times. I'm tired of waiting."

"Then go back to the Bebop, I'll stay."

"Like I said before, you're not gonna be able to take Ed, Ein, and all of her crap back to the ship by yourself."

"Then go to Doohan's place, I'm sure he'll be more interesting."

"Maybe she got lost or something," said Spike ignoring Faye's last remark.

"I don't know what happened. I guess I should start looking for her."

"I'm going with you."

"No, we should split up, it'll be quicker."

"We're better off if we go together..."

"Since when were you all for team work? Look, we'll cover more ground if we split up. I know you can take care of yourself and so can I."

"What makes you think I was worried about you?"

"Forget it, just get going."

"Have it your way," Spike said.

They went their separate ways. Spike walked slowly to the north, whistling as he walked. He still thought of Faye and it was driving him crazy. For some reason he wanted to patch things up between the two of them. Some how her opinions, her feelings, and her well-being became even more important. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it seemed that Faye was infiltrating his heart, just as Julia had years earlier. What was it about her? After all she was acting like an absolute bitch ever since he returned. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was enjoying the challenge of trying to break down her walls to see what was behind them. What kind of woman was hiding behind the fortification? There had to be more to it than that though. Just then he remembered when he left the Bebop to go after Vicious. He remembered looking into her eyes, seeing fear and sadness. He heard her shooting into the air as he walked off toward his ship in a feeble attempt to keep him from leaving. He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, something he hadn't felt in ages.

"It is my fault. I only wish she could understand why I did it," he though to himself, "If I didn't go after Vicious, the nightmare would never have ended. Eventually my friends would have been in danger too."

Spike kept walking. He was so entwined in his thoughts that he tripped over Ein. The dog immediately started barking, trying to get Spike's attention.

"Damn it Ein, watch where you're going!"

Ein kept barking while Spike sprang to his feet.

"What is it? Where the hell is Ed."

The barking continued and Ein made motions with his head, trying to get Spike to follow. The dog ran and Spike ran after him.

"Ein! Ein where the fuck are you going!"

On a different road, Faye was searching for signs of life. Ed should have been easy enough to find. She had bright red hair and usually walked around in a white t-shirt and black shorts. She also never shut up unless she was eating or sleeping.

"Where the hell is that girl," thought Faye, "Maybe Spike is having better luck...Spike"

She was now thinking about him. She wished that she could shut him out. He ran off to disappear, so why didn't it just stay that way? Faye sighed. Spike wasn't the easiest person to forget and he could never be ignored even when he wasn't trying to get your attention. In a way she still had feelings for him. That would probably never change. It was just so hard to forgive and forget. When he left she went to her room and cried a good, long, hard cry. She released emotions that she had pent up inside from the moment she woke up from her state of frozen slumber. After that she didn't leave her room for a week and Jet was actually worried enough to bring food to her. Faye smiled. That was Jet for you. He was really a softy at heart. He always cared for his friends, even though it took Faye a long time to realize that he considered her a friend. The Bebop was her only salvation and now that Spike was back she didn't know what to do. Things could never be the same between them.

"I guess the only thing I can do is ignore him, but it's just so damned hard. Maybe I should just forget it and bury the hatchet."

Just then Faye heard a noise behind her that jolted her back to alertness. She grabbed her gun and turned around quickly only to see that nothing was behind her.

"What the...Spike? Is that you? Don't fuck around...Spike?...Or is it Ed? Ed are you there? If it's you, you better come out. If you come out I'll give you something good."

A rustling noise came from behind her and she turned around. There in front of her was a handsome and trim man with long brown hair and a mustache. The only problem was that he had a scary glint in his eye. Suddenly he kicked the gun out of her hand and the knocked her out by hitting her with the handle of his own gun.

On the Bebop, Jet was still trying to dig up as much as he could find on this Pedro guy.

"This would have been a hell of a lot easier if Ed were here," he thought.

Finally Jet hit the mother load. It seemed that Pedro was a member of the Blue Angel Syndicate. He apparently betrayed the order and his punishment was to be a lab rat, testing different type of bloody eye. Unfortunately, some of the bad batches ended up affecting his grasp of reality to the point where he became mentally unstable. He still works for the syndicate as a smuggler. Jet searched further and found information that went deeper into his past. Then something struck him. There was a picture of Pedro and a woman with dark, short hair. She looked a little like Faye. In this file, it read that she was murdered, death by hanging. The file said that he became fixated on her and went into a jealous rage whenever another man went near her. After that anyone he killed was hanged (I think it's hanged and not hung in this case). It became his signature technique.

"That explains why he's called the Hanging Kid...Wait a minute, if Faye looks like his old girlfriend, she's in a lot of trouble. Shit! I better get down there."

Jet ran out to the Hammerhead and climbed in, taking off for St. Augustine.


	4. It's All Over Now Baby Blue

Faye woke up with a splitting headache and realized she was tied to her chair. Her arms were tied behind her and her legs were tied at the ankles. She looked around and noticed Ed tied up the same way next to her. Ed was still out. He must have hit her too. She observed her surroundings. They were in a run down building. The windows were boarded up and the room was dingey. It was on the darker side with some light coming in through the cracks of the boards in the windows. She heard footsteps and her attacker entered the room.  
  
"The betrayer has returned, Pedro said.  
  
Faye answered with a strange look.  
  
"They always return."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Are you saying you don't remember me? After all, you are the one who ruined my life."  
  
"Listen you asshole, I don't even know who you are! How could I have possibly ruined your life? I think I would remember something like that."  
  
"Temper, temper little one. You will receive your punishment in due time."  
  
"Punishment for what!"  
  
"How easily we forget my dear Esperanza."  
  
"Esper who? My name is not what ever the hell you just called me."  
  
"Why is it that women tell so many lies? It seems all they ever do is lie, deceive, or betray."  
  
"What ever…So why did you take her?"  
  
Faye motioned her head in Ed's direction. He smiled before answering.  
  
"Thieves sometimes send children to do their work. It is well known that I help the Blue Angels smuggle bloody eye and I know she was sent to steal the latest shipment."  
  
"Oh please. Ed couldn't steal candy from a baby. She's not a thief so why don't you just let her go."  
  
"You don't seem to understand. Once you are here you never leave. Both of you will be executed in the name of the syndicate."  
  
"Executed!"  
  
As Faye worried over her fate, Spike was still following Ein. The dog finally stopped by a pile of stuff in the middle of the road. Upon closer inspection Spike realized it was Ed's computer and other random things.  
  
"What the hell happened to her? Ein where is she?"  
  
Ein started barking and Spike smacked his forehead.  
  
"I was expecting an answer from a fucking dog…Alright how about this, Ein take me to where you last saw her."  
  
Ein ran down the nearest alley and stopped on the street near by. Spike caught up with him and was ready for Ein to move again, but the dog stood anchored to the spot. At this point he couldn't pick up the scent anymore. Spike stood waiting impatiently. He looked down at Ein expectantly.  
  
"Well? What did you stop for? Don't tell me you lost the scent."  
  
Ein looked down at the ground and Spike sighed.  
  
"Great."  
  
Just then Ein picked up a new scent. He recognized it as Faye's and followed it down the street. Spike followed behind and before long they could see marks on the road. Spike knelt down for a look and noticed that they were drag marks. Someone had been dragged through the street.  
  
"Hey, wasn't Faye walking this way? Shit!"  
  
Spike continued following the drag marks when he heard a beeping noise coming from his pocket. It was the extra communicator that Faye gave him when they landed. He answered the beep and heard Jet's voice thundering."  
  
"Don't you people answer when called! What the hell is the matter with you! I've been trying to get a hold of someone for an hour!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down Jet."  
  
"Spike? What are you doing with Faye's communicator?"  
  
"I don't know, she just gave it to me."  
  
"Well, where is she?"  
  
"We split up so we could find Ed."  
  
"What! Spike Faye's in a lot of danger!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"That's why I've been trying to get a hold of you. There's a dangerous bounty head on the loose there."  
  
Jet proceeded to tell Spike all the details.  
  
"She looks like his old girlfriend Esperanza Diaz. He killed her after he found out that she told the Blue Angel elders about his indiscretions against the syndicate. The guy is totally delusional. He hangs his victims and if we don't hurry we're gonna find Faye hanging from a pole somewhere."  
  
"And Ed."  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"I can't find her anywhere and Ein lost the trail. I have to assume that she's been captured too."  
  
"I'll be there in twenty minutes, that's the best I can do. Try your best to find them in the mean time okay."  
  
"Damn right I will. Ein found drag marks on the street and we're gonna follow them."  
  
"Alright, then go. I'll be there as soon as possible."  
  
Spike put the communicator in his pocket and continued following the new trail. After a few minutes he found himself standing outside a run down gray brick building. It was getting darker so the urgency to find Ed and Faye was sinking in. He pulled out his gun and walked carefully up the front steps and into the building followed by Ein.  
  
"Great, a dog's got my back. Look out behind me, got it Ein?"  
  
Ein barked his compliance and Spike pushed forward down a dark corridor. On the top floor of the building Pedro was preparing for the executions. Faye was shaking with fear. She was never so scared. She was facing death again. She began thinking desperately for a way to get out of this, but to no avail.  
  
"Why me? Isn't it enough that I almost died once? I'm too young to die no matter how old I am. I guess I should have listened to Spike. I never thought I'd ever say that."  
  
Faye's train of thought was interrupted by movement from the seat next to her. Ed had finally come to. The thin red head moaned and then turned her head to see Faye next to her.  
  
"Faye Faye! I found you."  
  
"You didn't find me. We've both been kidnapped."  
  
"Oh. Kidnapped, kidnapped, kidnapped, kidnapped…."  
  
"SHUT UP! Do you realize the predicament we're in? We're gonna die damn it!"  
  
"How come Faye Faye."  
  
Faye rolled her eyes and leaned her head back.  
  
"Spike person will save us."  
  
"That lunk head? I'd be surprised if he even figured out we're missing."  
  
"But Faye Faye, Spike person is right there."  
  
Ed pointed at the doorway and sure enough there was Spike poking his head in the door to check if the coast was clear.  
  
"And look, there's Ein."  
  
"Shhhhhh. Do you want Spike to get caught?"  
  
Faye turned to Spike and he smirked.  
  
"You can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble can you? Are you surprised that a lunk head like me found you?"  
  
"Shut up. Are you gonna get us out of here or what?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Spike, stop fucking around."  
  
"Calm down Faye."  
  
Spike heard footsteps from the other room and jumped for cover out in the hall. He peeked through waiting to see where the guy was in relation to Faye and Ed and when he was far enough away from them Spike prepared to make his move. 


	5. Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Pedro walked over to Faye's chair and pulled her up to her feet. He noticed that she was looking toward the doorway a lot and he got the sense that someone was there. He figured he grab her to avoid being shot. He knew that only bounty hunters were after him and this was the only way to protect himself. He dragged Faye over to the door to check things out. Spike was out in the hall and had no idea that Pedro had Faye with him when he jumped into the doorway with his gun. He was stunned when he realized that he was nose to nose with the screwball bounty head and then noticed he had Faye by the arm.  
"Shit," Spike spat out as he kept his gun pointed at Pedro.  
"I suggest you put that down. I will use her as a human sheild if necessary."  
"Coward," was all Spike could come back with.  
"Call me what you like."  
Ein was still at out in the hall, but was aware of the situation at hand. The small Welsh Corgi decided to make a move that would decide the outcome of the confrontation. He quickly ran into the room and bit Pedro's leg forcing the man to let Faye go. Spike pushed Faye back and kicked Pedro in the gut. A furious fight ensued with swift kicks and punches coming from both sides, but the end came when Spike did a high kick to his enemy's head. The fuzzy headed bounty hunter grabbed a pair of handcuffs and restrained Pedro, cuffing him to a sturdy lead pipe for the time being. Then Spike untied Faye and Ed, freeing them from the deadly nightmare. He got out his communicator and contacted Jet to let him in on the new events.  
"Jet are you there?"  
"Spike? What happened? Did you have any luck finding them? Where are you?"  
"Whoa, hey Jet, one question at a time. First off, I found the girls and they're both okay. Secondly, I captured Sanchez and I've got him cuffed to a pipe for now. Where are you?"  
"I just landed at Doohan's place. Give me your coordinates and I'll be right there."  
Spike did as he was asked and then ended the transmission. Faye tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and looked into her beautiful green eyes. Before he knew it Faye had quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. She forced her lips on his and he went wide eyed, but he accepted the kiss, eventually giving back a bit of his own. Faye pulled away and walked out the door to wait for Jet. Spike stood in the middle of the room, completely dazed, but was quickly brought back down to earth by Ed's crazy antics. She had witnessed the kiss and was more than happy about the whole thing. She was also happy to be reunited with the crew of the Bebop. The thin red head grabbed Ein by the front legs and swung him around, spinning in circles.  
"Faye Faye likes Spike person. Faye Faye likes Spike person. Bebop crew is back together."  
"Can it Ed. We have to go meet Jet."  
"Yay! Jet Jet. Ed missed Jet Jet's cooking."  
"You did?"  
"Yup, yup."  
"Do you have any taste?"  
"I don't know."  
She shrugged her shoulders and ran out the door in her typical airplane style. Ein followed in tow. Spike roughly pulled Pedro to his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back. Then he pulled the bounty head along through the doorway and out to the other crew members were waiting. His family was back together. 


End file.
